LINING

The lining is an inner layer of fabric hidden inside a garment that makes it more comfortable, durable and neat within. The lining performs several important tasks: it lets clothing glide on nicely when putting it on, hides the internal seams and construction, holds the shape of the garment, adds warmth and keeps the fabric from being see-through or 'clinging' to the body. It is made of smooth, pleasant fabrics — silk, viscose, cupro, acetate. The presence and quality of a lining is one of the chief, if invisible, marks of sound tailoring: cheap pieces are often made without it. Though the lining is not seen, it largely determines how comfortably and expensively a coat, jacket or dress 'sits'.